Bullets and Bluepulse
by Sohotthateveryonedied
Summary: Bart is shot in the knee on a mission and only Jaime is available to help him. Bluepulse angst, hurt!Bart. Some blood and pain but not too bad.


Bart is shot by Deathstroke on a mission, similar to that Teen Titans comic when he became Kid Flash. Very angsty, I regret nothing. I don't own Young Justice.

* * *

"Batgirl to Alpha Squad, how's it going over there?", a voice rang from the comms.

The team was on a mission in Gotham City, having received intel that the Light was planning something there. It wasn't very specific or reliable, having come from a low grade villain. They didn't know what or why or even if anyone would show up, but Aqualad had sent them to check it out regardless of the extreme doubt on whether there would be any action all night.

Beta squad consisted of Batgirl and Beast Boy, while Robin, Blue Beetle, and Kid Flash were on Alpha. It had been a quiet mission and they had not yet seen any sign that anyone from the Light planned on attending.

"There's still nothing", Blue responded tiredly. Beta squad was situated outside of the warehouse where the meeting was supposedly going to take place. Alpha was dispersed inside the building with Blue and Kid by the back wall and Robin lurking somewhere in the rafters.

"We've been here for two hours already and there's still nothing. Can we go now? My leg's starting to cramp up from sitting in this position for so long", he complained.

"Yeah", Bart agreed. "And I'm hungry."

Jaime rolled his eyes. "You're always hungry", he scoffed.

"That doesn't mean it's not true. I haven't eaten since breakfast, which is like you not eating for two days in comparison."

"Don't you keep snacks hidden in your uniform?"

Bart looked down sheepishly. "I, uh, may have eaten those on our last mission and forgot to stock up?" He shrugged and smiled.

Jaime was about to comment, but the words died in his mouth as one of the high Windows in the warehouse shattered and a figure dropped to the ground, landing in a crouch. Blue Beetle and Kid Flash shifted into fighting stances, preparing for a fight. They were expecting it to be a henchman or someone else who would be easy to defeat, but grew uneasy when it was none other than Deathstroke, the Light's most dangerous and infamous assassin.

"I see you kids are having a party. Mind if I join?", he said, his eyes narrowing at the two heroes.

"Mierda", Jaime cursed.

"You know, your team keeps saying that the Light often underestimates your intelligence and is nothing compared to your supposedly 'fearsome' team. And yet you blindly came here because you got a tip that they would be meeting here. If you ask me, I'd have to say I am not impressed."

Jaime saw a shadow moving in the rafters as Deathstroke spoke. Robin. The man prepared to attack, but he was halted when the boy wonder leaped from the ceiling and kicked Deathstroke in the face, sending him to the ground. Kid Flash and Beetle took that as an opportunity to attack, ganging up on the man.

Against any other man for this would have been an easy task, since it was three against one. But Deathstroke wasn't the average hitman. He was clever and powerful, never to be trifled with. There was a reason the Light chose him as their top enforcer.

He seemed to have the upper hand the whole fight, without having any problems with taking on three heroes at once. Kid Flash charged at him with the intent to knock him to the ground so Blue could strike with his staples. Deathstroke waited into it he right moment to neighbour and grab the boy, throwing him at Blue Beetle like he weighed nothing. The two crashed into the shelving behind them.

Robin continued to fight bravely. He and Deathstroke moved almost in sync, neither being able to gain the upper hand. Robin was one of the best at hand to hand combat on the team, and Deathstroke had skills that could rival Black Canary. It was like they were equal and unable to win because of this parallel. But Deathstroke had a trick up his sleeve. He faked out Robin and flipped his staff from his grip, sending it clattering feet away.

Deathstroke smirked and in one move he took out a gas pellet, setting it off and effectively knocking out Robin within seconds. The other three, however, were not so affected. Jaime's armor provided a protective mask around his face and Bart's metabolism allowed him to fight back against the toxin, though it did slow him down to barely above normal speed.

"One down, two to go" Deathstroke boasted smugly.

"You forget, we have plenty of more operatives outside, no doubt about to bust in and kick your butt", Jaime said.

"Is that so?" Slade pressed a button on his arm and watched as steel walls descended from above each wall, sealing off all the windows and doors in the room. There wasn't any way in or out now. "How are they going to reach you, might I ask?" He pulled out a gun from its holster. "Perhaps it would teach your team of children a lesson if I killed a few of your people. Send a message. After all, we've already killed so many of you. I especially remember when we indirectly disposed of the same man who wore the costume you now possess, isn't that right Kid Flash?"

Bart's face deepened into a loathing scowl at the mention of his cousin's tragic death, which was all because of these awful people and their organization. It was made even worse that this monster was using that sensitive spot against them. Without thinking he let out an angry cry and flung himself at the man, significantly slower from the gas but still swift.

Before Jaime could move, or even think, Deathstroke smiled cruelly at his attacker and turned his gun toward the young hero, firing a bullet into his knee.

Bart's following scream of pain was louder than the gunshot itself, echoing off every corner in the warehouse. Jaime froze, as Bart crashed onto the ground and his once furious expression became one of agony. Seeing his friend in pain snapped something in him. He saw red and formed a sonic cannon, firing without remorse at the man who dared to think he could hurt Bart and get away with it.

The blast sent Deathstroke into the opposite wall and it was there he collapsed, crumbling next to Robin's unconscious form.

Jaime inhaled deeply, almost firing another shot just to make the man suffer.

 _Jaime Reyes, it would be wiser to attend to the Kid Flash. He has sustained a gunshot wound to the knee, which can become dangerous if not repaired properly._

Jaime at once remembered Bart and sprinted over to his curled up form on the cold ground.

Not even caring about his identity or protocol, Jaime peeled back his armor and kneeled next to his friend. "Bart! Are you okay?"

Bart was lying on his side, his arms wrapped around his right knee. There was already a puddle of blood, the thick liquid still pouring from the wound. His face was an expression of pure pain and he breathed in quick panicked gasps. The bullet had entered right through the front of his kneecap, likely shattering it and leaving a bloody hole.

Normally he would be able to at least somewhat heal himself, but the lack of food added to the sedative in Deathstroke's gas had slowed him down considerably. He was shaking, vibrating in pain.

"J-Jaime...", he bit out. "H-hurts..." He inhaled sharply, tears squeezing from his shut eyes.

Jaime could feel himself freaking out. He knew that if Bart kept bleeding out like this he could lose the use of his leg, or even worse, die. What could he do? He heard a muffled voice emit from Bart's radio, which had been thrown aside next to him.

"Alpha! We can't get into the warehouse. What happened? Are you guys okay?", Gar's panicked voice rang out. Jaime fumbled for the device on the floor, his hands shaking.

"No, Deathstroke came. He must have slipped past you guys somehow. Robin's knocked out and so is he, but h-he shot Bart. T-there's a bullet in his knee and it's... God, it's bleeding s-so much and he's in so much pain... What do I do?!", he rambled, gasping with fear and worry.

Bart groaned from his position on the floor.

There was silence, Gar was likely relaying the information to Batgirl, who answered, "Try to stop the bleeding as soon as you can. We're getting backup, but it will take some time for them to get here in time. Just try and hold on until then.", she ordered in her authoritative voice. The radio cut out before Jaime could answer.

"Scarab, what do I do?", he asked urgently.

 _You must put pressure on the wound to stop the blood flow. Use a piece of fabric and tie it around to hold it,_ Kaji Da's detached voice answered.

Jaime looked around for a few seconds before finally just ripping off the sleeve of the shirt he had been wearing underneath his armor. He carefully tied it tightly around Bart's leg, earning a loud scream of pain from the younger boy.

"Sorry, sorry, I know it hurts. Lo siento." He continued his constant apologies until the wound was secure. When that was finished he turned back to Bart's face.

His expression was contorted into one of anguish, sweat dripping in beads down his face. Jaime swept his bangs back, grabbing Bart's hand in his. "Hermano, I need you to stay awake for me. I know it hurts, but you can't fall asleep until the others come, can you do that?"

Bart's eyes opened and he bit back another groan. He nodded quickly, vibrating in his place with both panic and pain.

"J-Jaime, w-what if I lose m-my leg? W-what if they can't fix it? What if my knee i-is ruined and I can't walk any-anymore and I can't be on the team anymore and I can't run a-and I won't be special anymore? I-I can't lose my ability to run I really c-can't and-" He gasped in pain again, thoroughly panicked. He was vibrating so fast he was becoming blurry.

"Bart!", Jaime snapped, trying to get his attention. "I need you to relax. I promise, you're not going to lose your leg. The others are going to come and they'll fix you up and you're going to be fine." He reached up and combed his fingers through Bart's hair, trying to calm him down.

"P-promise?"

He nodded with what he hoped looked like confidence. "I promise."

Bart calmed slightly, but his breaths were still coming in sharp gasps and he continued to groan every few seconds. Jaime's heart broke every time he heard Bart whimper. He wished he could take his pain instead. He wanted to be in Bart's place so Bart wouldn't have to.

Judging by Bart's moaning he was in agony, which Jaime couldn't bear to see. He needed a distraction.

"Let's talk about something else, okay?", he tried. What could he distract Bart with? Um...

"How about you tell me about your future? Besides the whole Reach apocalypse thing, I mean."

Bart looked at him like he had three heads, though it was better than him thinking about the immense pain he was in. "I've a-already told you everyt-thing."

Jaime continued stroking his hair, not noticing how close he was to the other boy's face. "Tell me about the team, then. Did Conner and M'gann get back together?"

"...Y-yeah, they got married. And s-so did Dick and Barbara."

Jaime nodded, but Bart still clutched at his leg in anguish. Jaime tried thinking of something that would get him talking more.

"...What made you happy there?"

Bart thought, his sharp gasps slowing down slightly. "I found an old library once. It w-wasn't totally demolished l-like the rest, so I sometimes went their a-and read when I wasn't working with the other slaves. It was really c-c-crash." Despite the dire situation they were in, the smallest hint of a smile pulled at Bart's lips at the find memories.

That smile was gone as fast as it appeared, though, when suddenly Bart let out a painful shout, reaching for his injured leg.

Jaime stiffened, seeing that the makeshift bandage had not been able to stop the bleeding enough, as it was soaked through and blood continued to spill from the wound. He cursed, untying it quickly to assess the damage. He ripped the fabric of Bart's uniform out of the way. His eyes widened when he finally saw the extent of the injury. There was a large hole in Bart's knee and small pieces of bone could be seen. The skin around it was red and it oozed blood so fast that Jaime knew Bart wouldn't be able to survive if he didn't stop it.

Scarab told him to press on the gash and try to halt the blood loss, so he gathered the fabric he'd used before and held it over the gash, trying to keep pressure on it. Bart cried out, biting his lip. He tried moving away, but Jaime kept his hands firmly on the gunshot wound.

"I'm really sorry, cariño, but I have to keep it from bleeding out." He hadn't meant to call Bart that affectionate nickname, but it just slipped out so naturally. Luckily Bart didn't notice, too overwhelmed by the burning pain in his leg.

They stayed like that the next few minutes, the tense silence being broken only by Bart's occasional whimper. Kaji Da continued muttering updates on Bart's condition in the back of Jaime's head.

It felt like hours, but finally the sound of Superboy breaking down the door could be heard and the team ran in. M'gann assessed Bart's condition and took over for Jaime, applying some first aid to Bart's injury until they could get him to the med bay. Nightwing checked on his brother, relieved to find that physically he was all right and he carried him bridal style towards the Bioship.

Superboy carried a barely conscious Bart out while the others apprehended Deathstroke. Once everyone was in the ship they took off for the cave, flying as fast as possible to Happy Harbor. Bart had been situated on a cot, with Jaime sitting by holding Bart's hand in his.

...

Bart woke up four hours later in the med bay of Mount Justice, his mind clouded. He felt a weight on his arm and turned to find Jaime holding his hand, asleep and leaning his head on the mattress. Bart tried to get up but found a large bulky leg brace encasing his right leg.

The jostling caused Jaime to stir, but he was wide awake the second he saw Bart. "Bart! You're okay! Thank God, I was so worried."

Bart continued to stare at his leg. "What happened? Did they fix it?"

"It took a couple hours, but they were able to repair your leg. Dr. Cross said there were no complications and you should be back on your feet in a few hours with your healing thing. They had to use an inhibitor collar on you", he said apologetically. He knew Bart had a bad experience with those things.

"I knew you wouldn't like it, but if they didn't you wouldn't have been able to go under anesthesia and I couldn't bear to see you in any more pain. I took it off the second you were out of surgery, though."

Bart heaved a long sigh, looking beyond relieved. "So I'll be able to run again?"

Jaime chuckled and nodded. "Sí, you're going to be able to continue being a super hero, cariño."

Bart smiled widely, so happy that he didn't even think before grabbing Jaime's face and planting a kiss on his very surprised lips. Jaime froze, not sure how to react. Seconds passed and he soon melted into the kiss, grabbing Bart's shoulders and kissing him just as eagerly.

They separated, gasping and leaning their foreheads together with their hands still intertwined. "Thanks, Blue" Bart whispered. "You saved my life."

"Then I guess now we're even, since you're always saving me", Jaime said.

Bart laughed breathlessly, his breath warm on Jaime's face. "I'm pretty sure I'm still ahead", he pointed out. His stomach growled then, making Jaime smile.

"Then how about I go get us some food and gain a few points? I'll even get you some chicken whizees since you're disabled right now", Bart hit him with a pillow at that last sentence.

Bart gave him one more kiss on the cheek. "Deal."


End file.
